TKR When oh when oh when

[Jammy]

@beachy - I know! Never fear, though. I still have the tight band feeling going on, my knee looks like a club, and my walking's not good. So there's that! I still am considering staying in bed until Dec 20th on which day I will be all better.

 

[Layla]

I still am considering staying in bed until Dec 20th

Bahahaha! You can snooze like Rip Van Winkle, wake...and be all better! Rip Van Jammy, you'll be!
Hopefully the weekend has been good in KneeWorld?

I still feel some discomfort in every step when I walk, and it zings or aches at night, usually 2:00 - 3:00 am. Wondering if the rest of you have had pain going on this long.

You are only four months into a recovery that can take a full year for some people. We heal at different rates for various reasons, but you're certainly not alone in experiencing some struggles at four months post op. Would you feel better if you spoke with someone on your surgeon's care team, for some reassurance?
Something to consider...I hope you have a nice week!
@Jammy

 

[JusticeRider]

I still am considering staying in bed until Dec 20th on which day I will be all better.

Haha, I can sure relate to this! A couple months after my surgery, someone asked me if I was glad I did it. I said “ask me in a year”. And I wasn’t smiling! And there were definitely days I wanted to go back to sleep and not wake up until everything wasn’t so awful. But the good news is, even though recovery takes around a year, you will start feeling noticeably better before then. At some point, you will turn a corner and notice that there are more good days than bad and the future is starting to look bright again. I wish that for you sooner rather than later! Hang in there Jammy!

 

[Jammy]

@Layla - I saw my surgeon today. I am shocked to hear that my knee concerns are--prepare yourself--"NORMAL." Bahahaha! She said the tight band feeling is likely scar tissue. This too shall pass, by exactly December 20!

@JusticeRider - I am hanging in. And hanging on. Thanks for everyone's help. @EalingGran and @beachy - that means you, too!

 

[Layla]

Yay for normal! Even though you want to feel better faster.
It will come, Jammy, it will come! I hope you sleep well tonight.
@Jammy

 

[beachy]

Good news! Now get back in bed til Dec 20!

 

[Jammy]

 

[#sully#]

Hello and welcome to BoneSmart and recovery. I am sorry to read of your struggles and pain.

I have noticed that I hurt more during and after physical therapy and am tempted to stop that, even though it's supposed to be so helpful. I don't know about you but I hate having my painful knee pushed down really hard until I almost cry. I stick with it because I don't want to fail in my recovery and this is what my doctor wants me to do.

Please refrain from engaging in movement that causes discomfort or pain. Do not allow anyone to forcefully manipulate your leg. While your range of motion is currently limited, it will naturally increase as the swelling subsides and the pain eases. Give it time. At ten weeks post op you're still early into a recovery that can last a full year for most and even longer for some.

Below you'll find the Recovery Guidelines. Please read the articles on ICE and ELEVATE and if you're not doing both, I'd advise you begin. It will help with swelling and the pain. I wish you comfort and hope you begin feeling better soon. We're here for support if you need us.


KNEE RECOVERY GUIDELINES

As you begin healing, please keep in mind that each recovery is unique. While the BoneSmart philosophy successfully works for many, there will be exceptions. Between the recommendations found here, your surgeon's recovery protocol and any physical therapy you may engage in, the key is to find what works best for you.

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary.

2. Control discomfort:

rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork.​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for TKRs​

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.

I’ve had both my knees done within the last 20 months for the 2nd one I took this advice and have had a much better recovery, in my main exercise has been walking, in my case I was at the 16 week mark before I felt things were relaxing, I’d say closer to two years for a full recovery, for me anyway.
good luck to you all

 

[Layla]

Thanks for the update, sully, it's good to hear from you! Thankfully this time around was easier for you.
I hope you have a wonderful Spring and Summer 2023. Take good care!
@#sully#

 

[EalingGran]

I’d say closer to two years for a full recovery, for me anyway

That is really helpful to know. I would be really interested in an update on your most recent knee as I had mine done in October 22 as well.

 

[Jammy]

@#sully# - Oh My Gawsh! Really??? Now I gotta wait TWO YEARS for a full recovery? When most posters were telling me it's likely going to be a year to feel "back to normal"? Ok, I QUIT! I was ready to go to bed until December 20th of this year and wake up, but I am not willing to do that for another YEAR!

You will see through my posts that I quit PT and took control of my life. I am not letting anyone cause me pain, except my husband, but that is a given in a happy marriage. I am not overactive, like some people on here, playing pickleball, golfing, and hiking Mt. Everest. In fact, I might qualify as the #1 Member of the Lazy Club. I studied my cats to get the full effect of laziness. They hardly do anything! So that is what I'm doing. The bare minimum. It's called "Quiet Recovery." And guess what? Finally my knee is calming down. I have had much less pain the past few weeks since being lazy. I highly recommend it!

The other thing I learned about this "journey" (nightmare?) is, don't believe it if your surgeon tells you that you should be on the upswing after 6 weeks. Um, NO. Don't feel bad about not living up to your surgeon's expectations. He/She has mostly likely NOT had a TKR and is clueless about how patients experience pain for months and months after surgery. Maybe they just don't want to know! But we on BoneSmart know!

 

[#sully#]

I’d say closer to two years for a full recovery, for me anyway

That is really helpful to know. I would be really interested in an update on your most recent knee as I had mine done in October 22 as well.

hi, at the moment my first tkr is coming along nicely I can’t be too rough with it as it’s slightly delicate still, my other tkr from October is still a work in progress, lot of stiffness a bit of pain, as I’ve said somewhere else I walk about 3/4 miles most days along a canal by where I live, so I must be doing ok. I still can’t kneel or squat, I use slip on shoes all the time now good luck in your recovery

 

[#sully#]

@#sully# - Oh My Gawsh! Really??? Now I gotta wait TWO YEARS for a full recovery? When most posters were telling me it's likely going to be a year to feel "back to normal"? Ok, I QUIT! I was ready to go to bed until December 20th of this year and wake up, but I am not willing to do that for another YEAR!

You will see through my posts that I quit PT and took control of my life. I am not letting anyone cause me pain, except my husband, but that is a given in a happy marriage. I am not overactive, like some people on here, playing pickleball, golfing, and hiking Mt. Everest. In fact, I might qualify as the #1 Member of the Lazy Club. I studied my cats to get the full effect of laziness. They hardly do anything! So that is what I'm doing. The bare minimum. It's called "Quiet Recovery." And guess what? Finally my knee is calming down. I have had much less pain the past few weeks since being lazy. I highly recommend it!

The other thing I learned about this "journey" (nightmare?) is, don't believe it if your surgeon tells you that you should be on the upswing after 6 weeks. Um, NO. Don't feel bad about not living up to your surgeon's expectations. He/She has mostly likely NOT had a TKR and is clueless about how patients experience pain for months and months after surgery. Maybe they just don't want to know! But we on BoneSmart know!

Maybe I’m expecting too much of my knee recovery to say 2 years, maybe I’m expecting a fully normal functioning knee, which I don’t think will ever happen, I don’t have the extreme pain I had before my operations, but the way it’s going I don’t feel I’ll be able kneel or squat like I used to
I think you’ll be able to wake up in December as planned lol

 

[EalingGran]

my other tkr from October is still a work in progress, lot of stiffness a bit of pain, as I’ve said somewhere else I walk about 3/4 miles most days along a canal by where I live, so I must be doing ok.

Thanks. That is really helpful.
I think some of the big problems with this recovery are uncertainty and managing our own and other people's expectations.
My PKR was October 22 and overall I am pleased with my progress. I also can walk good distances with less pain than pre-op, - but I still get some medial twinges on stairs and some stiffness/ soreness by evening. Recently I also get the odd twinge at the back of the knee where I used to have a Baker's cyst and pes anserine bursa. Overall I think things are still improving but it can be a bit up and down and I get fed up with friends who assume that by 6 months I must be fully recovered.
Just out of interest- how is your numb patch doing? Mine is a bit smaller I think and less numb. It still feels different and a bit unpleasant if I kneel or press directly on it. I can feel it if I tap with my fingernail but not very light touch.
I can kneel for short periods in 4 point kneeling ( 5- 10 minutes) on a padded pilates cushion, to do back exercises for my bad lower back. But it's not pleasant if I put too much weight on the implant site. I think I can cheat a bit because my partial was lateral and my other knee is very good. So when I kneel I can take most of my weight on my good knee and the unoperated bit of my surgery leg.
I can squat down past 90 degrees but definitely not down on to my haunches. I have to be careful if I sit down on a very low chair to come up carefully. If my knee twists inwards at all then I will get a twinge.

 

[EalingGran]

Sorry Jammy. Didn't mean to hijack your thread with questions to @Sully. Perhaps I should have copied it in my thread but not quite sure how to do this?
Just interested in some of the details of further out recovery stories. Like I said uncertainty as to what is normal/ expected is a big issue I find and good to get other perspectives.

 

[#sully#]

Sorry Jammy. Didn't mean to hijack your thread with questions to @Sully. Perhaps I should have copied it in my thread but not quite sure how to do this?
Just interested in some of the details of further out recovery stories. Like I said uncertainty as to what is normal/ expected is a big issue I find and good to get other perspectives.

Lol, I’m not too sure where or how to post as well lol

 

[Flashlight]

@Jammy, my SIL had both of her knees done about 10 years ago and on a recent call she said I wouldn't feel better for 3 years! She did the "Quiet Recovery" more or less with my brother trying to get her to walk daily. I refuse to accept that! I did turn a corner at 5-months going into 6. Now at 8 1/2 months I am able to do so much more and yesterday I didn't even think about my knee. My PA told me my numb patch wouldn't change much. I really don't pay attention to it as it is part of me. My lower leg is so much better, and my scar is healed. There has to be a middle road between doing too little and doing too much.
Do you have a stationary bike? You don't have to push yourself just go for a ride while watching a show.

 

[LeftKnee123]

Well, it didn’t last long. The latest is I have shin pain. It feels tight. It’s been ongoing and I haven’t read anything on this board where other people talked about this. I wonder if I need a massage? I do rotate my ankle around and go up and down. I keep worrying something happened with the surgery. No wonder I don’t sleep.

I also have had shin pain. They feel like shin splints that I had a million years ago when I used to jog. I also have the same anxiety that something went wrong with the surgery. The middle of the night is the best time to feel that way of course. Helps to know you are not alone

 

[Flashlight]

I also had the shin pain/discomfort and numbness below my knee. I was concerned about it but that has resolved slowly with time as I healed.

 

[Jammy]

@#sully# and @EalingGran and @Flashlight and @LeftKnee123 - post on here all you like, I read it all! I like getting different perspectives as well. My shin discomfort has calmed down some. I do feel like I have turned a corner at this 4 month range. I think @beachy told me her knee felt better after 4 months as well, maybe 5. I notice now that my knee cap area is sensitive and as such I don't want to use Salon Pas patches anymore on my knee's hot spot, which seems less hot with time but I still get an occasional twinge. I want to try to join Silver Sneakers gym so that I'd have access to a bike, I think that'd be helpful because I still walk like Lurch, and that isn't cool.